Posted
on 25 June 2010
Washington, DC: A new resource to help business
deal responsibly with water-related risks
by engaging with communities and public
authorities in policy formulation and implementation
was released today by the leading UN business
liaison group.
UN Global Compact subsidiary
group CEO Water Mandate created the Framework
for responsible business engagement with
water policy to guide business involvement
in driving for policies that integrate environmentally
sustainable, economically viable, and socially
equitable water management approaches.
The Framework, prepared
by the Pacific Institute in collaboration
with WWF International, provides a way for
companies to address water related risks
and opportunities beyond what can be achieved
using only internal initiatives.
“We have an innovative
model for companies to think about managing
their business risk by engaging water policy
and driving toward sustainable water management,”
said Jason Morrison, director of the Pacific
Institute’s Globalization Program, Technical
Director of the CEO Water Mandate, and author
of the Framework.
“Ultimately, solving
water problems requires not only better
public policy and stronger institutions,
but also inclusive and meaningful stakeholder
involvement in decision making.”
The Framework broadens
the understanding of corporate engagement
beyond policy advocacy and lobbying to interactions
with public authorities, communities and
civil society over company use of water
and broader issues of sustainable and equitable
management of the river basins in which
companies and their suppliers operate,
“In the context of this
Framework, sustainable water management
addresses social equity, economics, and
environmental issues in order to maintain
the supply and quality of water for a variety
of needs over the long term,” said Gavin
Power, deputy director of the UN Global
Compact and Head of the CEO Water Mandate.
“In many parts of the
world, sustainable water management efforts
could benefit from corporate engagement
– provided that this involvement is grounded
in the concepts of equity and accountability,
which must include stakeholder participation.”
The Framework itself
will be supported with an extensive Guide
coming out at the end of the year which
will provide detailed insights, strategies,
and tactics for responsible engagement.
“Many companies, large
and small, can benefit from practical guidance
on possible entry points for engagement,
how to set clear boundaries, and how to
avoid pitfalls,” said Stuart Orr, freshwater
manager of WWF International.
“This Framework can facilitate companies’
responsible and transparent engagement with
water policy in a way that reduces business
risks while advancing policy goals and positively
impacting nearby communities and ecosystems.”
The primary principles
laid out in the Framework for Responsible
Business Engagement with Water Policy include
advancing water management that is sustainable,
respects public and private roles, and is
inclusive, accountable, and transparent.
The Framework details
how companies engaging with governments
and other stakeholders to advance sustainable
water policies and management can encourage
efficient water use across a catchment and
contribute to the development of effective
and equitable policy and regulations.
Companies can also support
research and monitoring, gather and share
needed data and advocate for and support
environmentally and socially responsible
infrastructure development
They should support
and be appropriately engaged in participatory
processes for water related decision making
or oversight, should actively work with
communities to remedy or prevent water resource
problems and should assist these efforts
with finance.
Companies should also
be fully involved in increasing public awareness
of water resource issues.
“This Framework works
to facilitate equitable processes through
which all affected parties can come together
and contribute to mitigating shared water
risks,” said the Pacific Institute’s Morrison.
“It can be a powerful tool for combating
this century’s emerging water issues.”
The Framework for Responsible
Business Engagement with Water Policy is
a product of the CEO Water Mandate, drafted
by the Pacific Institute in its capacity
as the “operational arm” of the Mandate
Secretariat in consort with World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) International, and with the support
of Pegasys Strategy and Development Ltd,
Ross & Associates Environmental Consulting,
Ltd., and Water Witness International. It
can be downloaded at:
http://www.pacinst.org/reports/responsible_business_engagement_framework/index.htm
